Belgium insists on weakening EU summit conclusions on use of Russian assets – Bloomberg

Belgium, which has expressed concern about the use of frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine, wants to achieve a change in the conclusions of the EU summit in this regard.

Source: Bloomberg, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Bloomberg sources reported that during discussions at a European Council meeting on Thursday, Belgium insisted on weakening the draft conclusions of the summit.

According to the agency, instead of urging the European Commission to draft a legal proposal, Belgium wants the Commission to first study how the mechanism could work "with a view to possible concrete measures".

Belgium also wants the EU to use approximately €25 billion worth of Russian Central Bank assets frozen in other member states, Bloomberg sources said.

The sources reported that the discussions are ongoing.

Background:

• Ahead of the summit, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever revealed the three conditions on which he would agree to the "reparations loan" decision; otherwise, he would block it as too risky.
• De Wever's statements confirmed earlier reports from sources that the European Commission's arguments had not yet convinced Belgium.
• The EU's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said she understood Belgium's concerns about a "reparations loan" to Ukraine using Russian assets and that the EU will seek solutions that take these risks into account.

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